Here's the latest art news!  For those of us who are truly committed to the arts, it's never safe to sit on our laurels. No matter how successful (and old we are), we must always try new things.  Learning something new always forces us to muster the courage to leave the past behind and grow beyond our "comfort zone." This is particularly true for me as an artist, arts director, and for my life purpose and commitment to the arts.  For example, even though I'm known as a French expressionist from my time in Paris, through out my life I've always admired the Italian masters from the renaissance.  Studying in Florence seemed impossible.  But now that I'm older and "wiser" I stay focused and make my dreams come true.  So for the last few months I've been living in Florence working on my craft, where I've been working at an accademy studying classical Italian art.   Even at my age, I've been spending hours a day bunkered down humbled as a returning art student.  Now that I'm in my 60's, picking up and moving to Florence and becoming a student at this secure stage of my life took an immense amount of courage, but it's the best thing I could have done for myself!